CD Projekt Red has clarified its position on the recently rebooted Witcher game codenamed Project Sirius, saying it doesn't "want to carry on with projects that we are not aligned with."
Last week, CDPR made a regulatory announcement that it would write off funds allocated to Sirius and seemingly reboot the project from scratch after a "re-evaluation." Now, in the company's latest earnings conference, CEO Adam Kicinski and CFO Piotr Nielubowicz explained in more detail - and in slightly less businessy terms - just what's going on with the project. They also acknowledged the disappointment some fans undoubtedly felt after learning of what sounds like downscaling in terms of scope.
"I'm aware that it's not great to hear from a company that a project is being re-evaluated, but at the same time, in order to stay innovative, we must experiment and be brave when trying new paths," Nielubowicz said. "To stay in control and keep the right course, especially with a project that is new to us in terms of design, developed by a new studio in our family, we need to evaluate the situation as we move along. It's better to cut costs early and even restart if needed than to carry on."
- CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
- "Project Hadar needs an extraordinary crew" says Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 studio, sharing lots of job openings for the studio's first original game
During the Q&A portion of the conference, Kicinski was asked to elaborate on Project Sirius, and his response added even more uncertainty. Instead of simply saying the game was being rebooted or restarted, Kicinski seemed to imply the project might not go forward at all.
"To stay competitive, we have to keep looking for new ways to extend our franchises. At the same time, we have to be ready to re-evaluate our original concepts, even if the development work is already underway ... Our intention was to cut costs early and give ourselves time for reassessment. We don't want to carry on with projects that we are not aligned with. So basically, that's all we would like to share about Project Sirius for now."
We reached out to CDPR for more details on the status of the project and whether it will continue, and a representative for the studio simply said: "I can only say that our current focus is ensuring that Project Sirius is aligned with the strategy of the CD Projekt Group. At this point in time, we are neither providing insight into the evaluation of the project nor the potential future frameworks thereof."
Project Sirius is by far the most enigmatic of all upcoming CDPR games, even more so after these comments. The spinoff is in development at The Molasses Flood, a Boston-based studio started by a small team of industry veterans whose credits range from BioShock and Halo 2 to Guitar Hero and Rock Band. CDPR acquired the studio in 2021 specifically to develop a new game aimed at fans of The Witcher Netflix series.
However, everything we knew about Sirius - not that we knew a whole lot - is seemingly now in flux now that the project has been rebooted, or restarted, or possibly even stalled altogether.
Today's conference also revealed that Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is "at the final production phase" and that CDPR is finally saying The Witcher 4.
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
Getting Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 and Xbox Series X was all about adding "dynamism" to the open world, but the devs seem most proud about the trees
